James D. Fisk

Fisk, James D. BURNT HILLS James Donald Fisk, Burnt Hills, known to Capital District baby-boomers as "Uncle Jim Fisk", host of the Freihofer BreadTime Stories television show and to regional travelers as the patriarch of JIMAPCO Maps, passed away at the Ellis Center January 8, 2011 following a short illness. Born in Glens Falls, N.Y., in 1919, he was the son of David Simpson Fisk and Grace Gibson Fisk. He attended Hudson Falls schools, and then attended Antioch College, and Yale University, studying math and theatrical set design. His graduate education was interrupted by World War II, where he served as an officer in the US Army's 96th AA Regiment, and later in the newly formed 7th Army, touring the Pacific, European, and African theaters. He married Jane Gitsham in 1942 while on a short military leave. He returned home to Hudson Falls in 1945. Jim went to work at WRGB in Schenectady in 1945 as a staff artist. In July 1956, he was named the new host of the children's show, Freihofer's BreadTime Stories, famous for the young audience who were invited to create "squiggles", which Uncle Jim would finish into artworks. Jim's next career was already well underway in the form of JIMAPCO, "Maps to swear by, not at!" His first map, which started out as a hobby, was of Burnt Hills, the community he'd call home for 50 years. The map was created to help organize a church canvassing project, and its progression to a retail map product was just a fluke - a fluke that turned into a viable and enduring business. Jim retired from JIMPACO in 1991 although he remained active as a designer for JIMAPCO well into his 80s. Throughout his life, Jim participated in a broad variety of community projects and services, including the Burnt Hills Ambulance Squad, the Burnt Hills Library Board, the Burnt Hills United Methodist Church, and various school and charitable endeavors. Jim Fisk was predeceased in 1981 by his first wife, Jane Gitsham Fisk. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Mary Lou Fisk; his sister, Grace Elizabeth Giddings; his four children, David (Christina), Thomas (Margaret), Barbara (Gregory) Gachowski, Sarah (Kevin) West; stepdaughter Margo Ryerson; six grandchildren, Stacy Mendrick and Michael Fisk, Jamie Gachowski and Stephanie Hample, Erika and Connor West; three step-grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 73 Midline Rd., Ballston Lake, N.Y. on January 22 at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed to the Make a Wish Foundation, the Adirondack Lyme Disease Foundation, your local animal shelter, or the charity of one's choice. Arrangements are by Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home.